5 Ways Scientists Are Building Real-World Super Soldiers

There's no chance for another Captain America without the super serum, but technology can help make soldiers more superhuman.

Steve Rogers became the ultimate soldier thanks to a vial or a two of Super Soldier Serum and the aid of Vita-Rays. In the world of Marvel, the creator of that serum - Abraham Erskine - was killed by a Nazi soldier, meaning there could never again be another Captain America. But in the real world, scientists are working hard to create the modern-day super soldier.

It's not potions and radiation, but technology is helping to create soldiers that can better withstand the rigors of war. The idea of a super soldier who can cut through a swath of enemy combatants, respond to and neutralize threats in a millisecond, and possess abilities most humans are not capable of plays into all of society's fantasies about warfare. But giving soldiers enhanced abilities can help save their lives.

It sounds as preposterous as anything you might see this weekend in Captain America: The Winter Soldier but the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and others are working on some very sci-fi projects that wouldn't be out of place in the Marvel world. Check them out in the slideshow.

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Night-Vision Contact Lenses

Night-Vision Contact Lenses

Night vision requires bulky goggles that attach to helmets. But at the University of Michigan researchers are working on contact lenses that perform similarly by sandwiching graphene between glass. The graphene makes dark objects seem brighter.